"Baby, I can't leave Grove Hill. The MC, my commitment to Fox, the shop—everything I have is here. You know that."
"I know." Her chin dropped and she rested her head on my chest. It wasn't easy to read her when she was like this.
"I just thought you'd be happy. I thought this was what you wanted." My thumbs stroked soft lines on her hips as I waited for her to respond.
"I am happy, Garret. I told you. It is what I want…" She looked up at me and her eyes were glassy again. "I'm just telling you the truth about my life. I can't let Danny and Andy down. They depend on me. The crew depends on me. It's literally my job."
My hand found the side of her face and my thumb brushed across her cheekbone. The frustration burning through my chest fought against the tenderness of touching her, and neither one won. She leaned into my palm and closed her eyes and for a second the whole conversation paused.
"We'll figure it out," I told her.
"How?"
"I don't know yet. But we will." I didn't fight this long to give up now. If I had to drive to St Louis five times a month and take her on real dates or move halfway between so I could be in both places more easily I would.
She opened her eyes and studied my face, searching for something she could hold onto. My mouth found hers again but this time I felt desperate—to hold on to this, to convince her it was worth risking her family being upset. To make her believe me when I said I would figure it out.
Her wet hands came up to rest on my chest and my arm draped her waist and pulled her closer until her body pressed flush against mine.
"I'm not losing you again," I murmured against her lips. "Whatever it takes."
Her fingers curled against my chest and she kissed me back, and the sadness in it made my stomach ache because I could feel her wanting to believe me and not quite getting there.
Then a rumble came from the east and I knew it was the guys coming back from whatever trouble Lightning had gotten them into this time. We were far enough off the road and well-hidden enough I knew they'd never see us, besides it was growing dark now too.
But Sara's whole body stiffened, her spine board straight. Her hands flattened on my chest and shoved, and she turned toward the bank with her eyes wide and her breathing shallow, like a scared animal trying to run away from a predator.
"I have to go," she snipped. "I have to go right now."
"Sara, stop." My arms caught her before she could climb out of the water. "That's the club coming back. That's my guys. You're safe."
But it was like she wasn't hearing me. Her body shook against mine and her eyes darted toward the road.
"Hey." My hands framed her face and held it steady. "Look at me. You're safe. Nobody's going to touch you while you're with me."
Something was wrong with this reaction. And after hearing Lightning warn me off seeing her, I knew it had to do with him.
"What's wrong, baby? What are you scared of?" I asked as her tears crested and fell.
23
SARA
The rumble faded south and the river went quiet again, but my pulse was still hammering and my hands were still shaking. When the last echo of their engines disappeared behind the tree line my lungs finally remembered how to work. I pushed away from Garret and waded toward the shore to get to my phone.
The thought cut through everything else. Kip was at the house with Danny, and if Tony had gone there before coming to the river?—
"I need my phone," I said, stomping up the steep incline where water normally lapped on these rocks. My jeans were in a heap on the gravel and my hands fumbled through the pockets until my fingers closed around the screen. Water ran down my belly and thighs as my thumbs typed.
Sara: 10:42 PM: Is Kip okay? How are things going?
The seconds between sending and receiving felt longer than the whole evening had been so far. I'd told Danny I was checking on things at the diner and planned to stay late to clean up the pantry. An all-out lie, but he didn’t question me. I figured heknew I was meeting up with Garret and after the showdown between me and Andy, Danny wasn't brave enough to say a word.
Danny: 10:42 PM: He's fine. Sleeping. Everything good?
I heaved out a sigh of relief and closed my eyes for a few seconds before typing a response.
Sara: 10:43 PM: Yes fine. Just checking in.
